So it’s day 2 of MCF2018 in Burlington, Canada, well it’s almost day 2. The time shift has meant that I’ve been waking at 05:00, give or take and for the most part, waking to a complete state of awareness, none of this, grogginess that I usually have to deal with just totally awake. Joy.

Day 2 is a pretty heavy schedule if you want to do all the extra classes, which needless to say I am going to do… I’ve said this before, but with a good karate family going to a gasshuku doesn’t feel like travelling miles and miles, to a destination that is ‘foreign’, it just feels like going home. Not home home, but home all the same.

It’s been a great few days since leaving the UK, actually, leaving the UK was pretty smooth for a change. Even transport for London was nice to me and delivered me to Gatwick airport with the greatest of ease. Since then everything has gone swimmingly well.

One of the many high points for me was a visit to the Shudokan Family Karate Centre, the first time I had been there, which was simply awesome! I was just off the plane and the temptation was to roll into bed and succumb to the throbbing tiredness but no, there I was in the line up trying to concentrate 🙂

Day 1 of MCF and memories of the last MCF I attended came flooding back and before long we were in the swing of things! I have loads of notes to write up from the training sessions and a few ideas to take away and work on in more detail…which is always a good feeling.

Then there is the friendship, the people I haven’t seen in ages but still the best hugs and catch ups! We all have our challenges in life but we all get on with it.

I think Nakamura Sensei put it best when he said, it doesn’t matter where you are from, what you do, even, and especially for the Aussies, what you sound like, when in a suit and lined up, sure we’re all the same…

Mad.